Apparatus for cleaning sewer-pipes.



No. 768,867. PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904. W. H. STEWART.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SEWER PIPES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2. 1903. N0 MODEL.

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PATENTED AUG. 80, 1904- W. H. STEWART.

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING SEWER PIPES.

APPLIGATION FILED JULY 2. 1903.

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N0 MODEL.

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NITED STATES Patented August 30, 1904;.

PATENT QFFICE.

WILLIAM H. STEWART, OF MALDEN, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS F OR CLEANING SEWER-PIPES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 768,867, dated August30, 1904.

Application filed July 2, 1903. Serial No. 164,013. (No model.)

To It 1.0720712, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. STEWART,of Malden, county of Middlesex,State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Apparatus forCleaning Sewer-Pipes,of which the following description, in connectionwith the'accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters onthe drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object to construct anapparatus for cleaningsewer-pipes and for conveying the deposit taken from the pipes upthrough a manhole and for delivering it to a wagon of any suitabledescription, by which it may be carried away, the apparatus being of aportable character and adapted to be placed in position for operationand properly supported while it is being operated.

Figure 1 shows in side elevation a sewercleaning apparatus embodyingthis invention. Fig. 2 is a left-hand end elevation of the apparatusshown in Fig. 1. Figs. 3 to 10, inclusive, are enlarged details of partsof the apparatus to be referred to; and Fig. 11 is a modification to bereferred to.

The main support of the apparatus comprises, essentially, an uprightframe adapted to be placed in a manhole and to be disposed therein so asto occupy a position against the vertical wall thereof, said uprightbeing composed of two bars a a, telescopically connected together toprovide for longitudinal adjustment, the lowermost bar a having at itslower end a foot a which projects from the manhole into the sewer-pipeand engages the top wall thereof, and the uppermost bar a having at itsupper end an ear a through which a set-screw (0* passes, which isadaptedto bear upon the upper edge of the manhole or upon the surface of thestreet. When the set-screw a is turned down, the. upright frame will beclamped in position and adapted to support the operating parts, and whensaid set-screw is turned in the opposite way said upright frame may beremoved. The upper bar a has projecting from it a lug a, (see Fig. 3,)which is preferably threaded to re ceive upon it a suitable nut, andsaid lug is designed and intended to project through any one of a seriesof holes in a plate a, which is supported by or forms a part of theframework of the apparatus. The framework of the apparatus is thusdetachably connected to the main support.

The main framework of the apparatus comprises, essentially, twotelescopically-connected open-work structures 6 c, which are hereinshown as ladders that is to say, they each comprise a pair of uprightside bars and horizontally-connecting cross bars or rounds. The ladder bhas at its upper end bolts 6, which pass through slots 0, provided atthe lower end of the ladder c, to provide for longitudinal adjustment ofthe framework. The longitudinal adjustment of the framework and also ofthe main support is provided to accommodate the apparatus to manholes ofdifferent depths. The plate (0, having the holes through which the lugonthe main support passes, is secured to the lower end portion of theladder 0. Bymaking the framework as a, ladder it will be seen thatprovision is made for a person to descend to the bottom of the manholefor the purpose of adjusting the apparatus, as will be hereinafterdescribed, and while I prefer to make both parts of the framework asladders yet it will be understood that my invention is not limited to aframework of this construction.

The ladder b has at its lower end a suitable support for a section rodor bar, which is herein shown as a yoke 6 attached tothe lower end ofthe ladder, and a cross-bar 6 which is also connected to the lower endof the ladder inside of the said yoke, said cross-bar and yoke havingholes through them which are disposed in alinement, and thereby adaptedto receive one end of thesection-rod (Z and to support said section-rodin a horizontal position, so that it may be projected into thesewerpipe.The section-rod (Z may be of any desirable length, being composed of anumber of like sections fitted together, and if a greater or less lengthis required a greater or less number of sections will be employed. The

endmost section of the rod has attached to its under side a shoe cl,(see Figs. 1 and 7,) one end of which is attached to the end of the rodand the other-end to a bracket d, depending from the rod, and betweensaid shoe and rod a support is provided for a pulley or sheave I). Thesection-rod is projected any suitable distance into the sewer-pipe bythe workman who stands at the bottom of the manhole and slides the rodalong through the holes in the support, and as it is projected into thesewerpipe the shoe rides over the deposit in said pipe. No connection isthus made with the next manhole. Several scoops or buckets e areattached to an endless chain or cord, there being four such scoops orbuckets herein shown as attached to the endless chain or cord. Thesescoops or buckets may be made of any suitable shape, preferably havingone open end and a transversely-curved bottom, as represented in Figs.8, 9, and 10. Each scoop or bucket c is attached to and contained withinan open-work structure or cage which comprises four wires 0', curved inthe direction of their length and joined together at their oppositeends. As herein shown, each uppermost wire is or may be formed integralwith the wire under it, and an eye 0 is formed at each end of the wiresto receive alink which loosely connects the several cages together, andthe uppermost wire has an eye which receives the end of a cross-bar 0which is attached to the scoop or bucket. The cross-bar is located atthe rear end of the scoop or bucket, and the forward end of the scoop orbucket projects down through the bottom of the cage and rests on the twolowermost wires of the cage. As the scoops or buckets are thussupported, it will be seen that the forward end projects a shortdistance from the cage and that the wires'forming the cage serve asrunners and guard the scoop or bucket, and thereby prevent the scoop orbucket from striking any projecting joints in the pipes. The oppositeends of this series of scoops or buckets are attached to the endlesschain, and when the series is connected therein it forms a part of saidendless chain.

f represents the endless chain, and said chain leads from the series ofscoops or buckets over a pulley or sheave f, which is sup ported at theupper end of the framework, thence over a pulley or sheave f likewisesupported by the framework about midway the height of the upper part ofthe framework, thence over a pulley or sheavef which is supported at thelower end of the lower part of the framework, thence around the pulleyor sheave d, which is supported at the extremity of the section-rod,thence returning over the pulley or sheave f which is supported at thelower end of the lower part of the framework, thence over a roll f whichis idly supported in suitable hearings in the upper part of theframework, making several turns on said roll, thence over a winch f,making several turns thereon, and thence to the opposite end of theseries of scoops or buckets. The winch f is the driving-roll, and forthe purpose of driving it a toothed gear 9 is secured to the shaft ofsaid roll, which is engaged by a pinion r/, secured to a shaft bearing ahand-crank As the winch f is revolved the endless chain will be movedand the series of scoops or buckets conveyed from thmpoint shown in fulllines, Fig. 1, to the point represented by dotted lines, Fig. 1, and asthe scoops or buckets are thus moved the cage will slide along on thetrack it, which is provided on the framework, said track supporting thecage in such position as to enable the scoops or buckets to pass alongfreely. WVhen the endless chain is operated and the scoops or bucketsbrought into the dottedline position shown in Fig. 1, the direction ofrotation of the roll f is reversed and the endless chain operated andthe scoops or buckets thereby caused to return to the fullline positionshown in said figure. As the scoops or buckets are moved into thedottedline position they will pass over the deposit in the sewer-pipe,and as said scoops or buckets return they will scoop up the deposit andconvey it along the sewer-pipe and up the manhole to the street-leveland then up over the top of the framework, and as the scoops or bucketsdescend upon the opposite side of said framework their position reversedand the deposit drops into a suitable wagon by which it is carried away.The upper part of the framework is bent at a suitable angle to extendover the wagon to provide for thus delivering the deposit to the wagon.The weight of the scoops or buckets causes the chain to sag between thepulley or sheave f and the winch f, which enables the deposit to bedelivered to the wagon as the scoops or buckets descend. The outer endof the section-rod which projects into the sewer-pipe will have atendency to fall by gravity, so that the shoe which rests on the depositwill settle as soon as the scoops or buckets are operated. Furthermore,the scoops or buckets will also sag in the sewer-pipe by their ownweight, and as said scoops or buckets have a transversely-curved bottomwall they will easily collect the deposit and deliver it to the wagon.

Instead of employing a section-rod, as shown in Fig. 1, the pulley orsheave (1' may be supported at the end of a cord or chain, as 2', (seeFig. 11,) which is drawn up through the next manhole, and in such eventsaid pulley or sheave will beheld by said cord or chain '21 while theendless chain is being operated.

It will be understood that while the bucketcarrying chain is endless yetit is operated first in one and then in the opposite-direction and istherefore a reciprocating chain, as contrasted to one movingcontinuously 1n the same direction.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an apparatus for cleaning sewer-pipes, a bucket-carryingchain,buckets carried by it, supports for said chain, means for operating saidchain, a framework bearing said supports which extends fromapproximately the bottom of the manhole to a point above said manhole, asection-rod projecting from the lower end of said framework bearing atits extremity one of the supports of said chain, substantially asdescribed.

2. In an apparatus for cleaning sewer-pipes, a bucket-carrying chain,buckets carried by it, supports for said chain means for operating saidchain, a framework bearing said supports which extends fromapproximately the bottom of the manhole to a point above said manhole, asection-rod projecting from the lower end of said framework bearing atits extremity one of the supports of said chain, and also bearing ashoe, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus for cleaning sewer-pipes, a bucket-carrying chain, asupport therefor,

means for moving said chain, buckets carried by said chain, and a cageinclosing said buckets, substantially as described.

4:. In apparatus for cleaning sewer-pipes, a

bucket-carrying chain, a support therefor,

means for moving said chain, buckets carried by said chain, and a cageinclosing said buckets consisting of a plurality of wires to which saidbuckets are connected, substantially as described.

5. In an apparatus for cleaning sewer-pipes, a bucket-carrying chain, asupport therefor, means for moving said chain, a series of connectedcages forming a part of said chain, a bucket loosely connected to andinclosed by each cage, the forward end of which projects down throughthe bottomof the cage, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM H. STEWART.

WVitnesses:

B. J. NoYEs, H. B. DAVIS.

